K-Content News
Secret to my success? I keep working because I'm never satisfied with myself'
- September 03, 2021 | Music
Secret to my success?
I keep working because I'm never satisfied with myself'
Updated : 2021-09-02 16:27
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winner Kim Gi-hoon shares the story of his rise to the top in international competition
By Park Ji-won
Baritone Kim Gi-hoon made it into the headlines in June after winning the main award for opera arias at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. This was the first time for a Korean to win the prize at the international singing competition, which started back in 1983.
He said dissatisfaction with his performances helped him to aim high as an artist and pushed him to join the international competitions.
"I think an artist who is satisfied with their artistic outcome has no future. I believe an artist can pull off a greater performance if they continue to improve. When I am satisfied with what I do, my life as an artist will be at its end," Kim said in a recent press conference.
He held the conference to share the behind-the-scenes story of his big win and to promote his upcoming recital at Seoul Arts Center, Saturday, where he will sing a list of songs which led to him winning the award such as Rossini's "Largo al factotum" from the opera "Il Barbiere di Sivigilia" and E. W. Korngold's "Mein sehnen mein wahnen" from the opera "Die tote Stadt" as well as other famous operatic works.
"I was not thinking of joining another international singing competition after renowned singing competitions such as the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the World Opera Competition. Sadly, I was repeatedly becoming a runner-up, not a winner. I thought many would remember me as a person who always ends up being in second place. So I decided to join the BBC competition, my dream stage, and win the first place there as my last attempt."
Joining the competition meant a lot to him as he fostered his dream of becoming an acclaimed baritone following on from artists like Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Bryn Terfel who competed in the show in the past, he added.
Even though he has achieved much for a young baritone, he is a late bloomer. He started singing in his late teens after being discovered by a singing lecturer who heard him doing random baritone-style voice impressions of pop songs in a church seminar.
"I did not learn from a teacher to sing but I enjoyed doing voice impressions to entertain people. For example, when I sang an ordinary song in a baritone style, people really liked it. One day, a singing teacher who visited a church seminar saw me doing my impression. He immediately asked me to take an audition to major in singing. My parents first opposed the idea saying it might be a fraudulent scheme or something. But after being told that I had the talent to become a world-class singer, my parents agreed to support me and I decided to study singing."
After three to four months of lessons, he won national competitions in Korea and was able to enter the music school of Yonsei University, one of the more prestigious universities operating a music program in Korea. He then continued studying at Theater und Medien in Hannover, Germany, and is completing his postgraduate studies there.
But while undergoing mandatory Korean military service, he was diagnosed with vocal cord nodules and was faced with the prospect of not being able to sing again. "I never gave up and emptied my mind. I started practicing all over again like a beginner. Eventually, my voice became better."
Even though he has won prestigious competitions and many shows are waiting for him in Europe and the United States, he still has personal goals for self-improvement.
"I want to perform in renowned opera houses throughout the world in the future … I hope people would recall me when they hear the word baritone, just as they think of Jo Sumi when they hear the word soprano. But I don't want to be arrogant with winning the title or become complacent. And I will continue to work hard for the future and become the best baritone I can be."
By Park Ji-won
Baritone Kim Gi-hoon made it into the headlines in June after winning the main award for opera arias at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. This was the first time for a Korean to win the prize at the international singing competition, which started back in 1983.
He said dissatisfaction with his performances helped him to aim high as an artist and pushed him to join the international competitions.
"I think an artist who is satisfied with their artistic outcome has no future. I believe an artist can pull off a greater performance if they continue to improve. When I am satisfied with what I do, my life as an artist will be at its end," Kim said in a recent press conference.
He held the conference to share the behind-the-scenes story of his big win and to promote his upcoming recital at Seoul Arts Center, Saturday, where he will sing a list of songs which led to him winning the award such as Rossini's "Largo al factotum" from the opera "Il Barbiere di Sivigilia" and E. W. Korngold's "Mein sehnen mein wahnen" from the opera "Die tote Stadt" as well as other famous operatic works.
"I was not thinking of joining another international singing competition after renowned singing competitions such as the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the World Opera Competition. Sadly, I was repeatedly becoming a runner-up, not a winner. I thought many would remember me as a person who always ends up being in second place. So I decided to join the BBC competition, my dream stage, and win the first place there as my last attempt."
Joining the competition meant a lot to him as he fostered his dream of becoming an acclaimed baritone following on from artists like Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Bryn Terfel who competed in the show in the past, he added.
Even though he has achieved much for a young baritone, he is a late bloomer. He started singing in his late teens after being discovered by a singing lecturer who heard him doing random baritone-style voice impressions of pop songs in a church seminar.
"I did not learn from a teacher to sing but I enjoyed doing voice impressions to entertain people. For example, when I sang an ordinary song in a baritone style, people really liked it. One day, a singing teacher who visited a church seminar saw me doing my impression. He immediately asked me to take an audition to major in singing. My parents first opposed the idea saying it might be a fraudulent scheme or something. But after being told that I had the talent to become a world-class singer, my parents agreed to support me and I decided to study singing."
After three to four months of lessons, he won national competitions in Korea and was able to enter the music school of Yonsei University, one of the more prestigious universities operating a music program in Korea. He then continued studying at Theater und Medien in Hannover, Germany, and is completing his postgraduate studies there.
But while undergoing mandatory Korean military service, he was diagnosed with vocal cord nodules and was faced with the prospect of not being able to sing again. "I never gave up and emptied my mind. I started practicing all over again like a beginner. Eventually, my voice became better."
Even though he has won prestigious competitions and many shows are waiting for him in Europe and the United States, he still has personal goals for self-improvement.
"I want to perform in renowned opera houses throughout the world in the future … I hope people would recall me when they hear the word baritone, just as they think of Jo Sumi when they hear the word soprano. But I don't want to be arrogant with winning the title or become complacent. And I will continue to work hard for the future and become the best baritone I can be."
Reporter : jwpark@koreatimes.co.kr
